REVIEW: Blow Up Dolls (BUDS) Series 2

Background

Jamungo has released Series 2 of their popular Blow Up Dolls (BUDS) platform toy. The blind box series contains 16 different designs from 15 different artists. Depending on the design, your likelihood of finding a specific figure ranges from 1.4% to 7.7%. FERG and VanBeater have done another outstanding job assembling some of the top artists out there.

Packaging

They have changed up the design on the packaging on the second iteration of the Blow Up Dolls line. Jamungo has added all of the designs to the side of the box. In addition, there is a card included in the box that tells you the name of the design, the artist and the percent chance you have of pulling that design.

The Figures

The 3.5” tall blind box line contains 16 different designs. Jamungo ran
550 boxes for the series. While most include a match to light the fuse, not all include that accessory. We’ll be listing the designs in
the order of our favorite…most favorite first.

Variant Monkey Hustle Dero - Jermaine Rogers (5.1%)
There’s a lot going on with this design. First off, who doesn’t love
Jermaine Rogers Dero character? Then there is the clear body, glow-in-the-dark eyes and a
bright pink head. And lastly, the dig at “Flippers” is hilarious. The
arms say Buy and Flip and the eyes are shaped like dollar signs.

Dead Che – Frank Kozik (1.4%)
Kozik puts his own spin on Alberto Korda’s famous photo of the
socialist revolutionary – Che Guevara. The head and hair make this
figure the heaviest in the line.

Dingus Dog as Laika – Little Friends (7.7%)
The cartoon dog in the astronaut suit is bound to be a favorite of both
kids and adults. The design has a great retro feel to it.

BackScratch – VanBeater (7.7%)
The use of blues and reds in this figure will make it stand out in your
collection. Is it me, or does the figure’s face sorta look like a pug?

WZRD – MCA (7.7%)
The glow-in-the-dark MCA design is the only GID in Series 2. It’s one
of two figures that do not come with a match. So don’t think you lost
it…like I did.

Red Menace – John Pound (7.7%)
When I saw that John Pound was designing a figure in this line, I was
more than excited. Who doesn’t love his work on the Garbage Pail Kids
series of trading cards? And he hasn’t let us down, paying homage to
some of his most famous work.

Treeby – Meomi (7.7%)
This design wins the award for the most innovative use of the BUD
platform. The body is a tree, with a wood grain finish. And the head
contains the branches, leaves and a number of happy little birds.

BUD2 – VanBeater/FERG (7.7%)
This is the transparent version of the original BUD (from Series 1).
However, the red in the eyes and match are now replaced with orange.

Nade Trooper – Frank Kozik (5.3%)
This figure is the sibling (or maybe alter-ego) of Kozik’s Bud Trooper
from Series 1. The colors have been changed, the No Step sign is now
Me Go Boom and the number 03 is now 69.

Shaving Accident – Burlesque of N. America A. Horkey (3.5%)
Ouch! Looks like the figure was decapitated. You can actually pop off
the head and set it in the characters arms. The fuse is designed to
look like vertebrae. Yum.

Tequila – Gobi (2.1%)
You might recognize this design from the Tequila vinyl figure designed
by Muttpop. Being a popular design, it will draw interest from fans of
Gobi.

Perp Serp – FERG (6.3%)
This design might look familiar. It is the same as Ghost design from
Series 1, but they’ve changed up the colors and gone with a great
transparent purple plastic.

Sweaty Devil – Destroy Rock City (7.7%)
Well, I see the sweat dripping. And this design should be fitting for
this sweltering summer. However, the white and grey color scheme
doesn’t really make the design stand out.

Twisted – Bdix (4.9%)
The green and grey design has a cartoon and graffiti feel to it. The digital readout on the back of the head looks very realistic...and just flip the head upside down to read a special message. I’d
like to see a few more colors, since there are two designs whose main
colors are grey.

THE CLEANER – Dalek (7.7%)
This might be the last on this list because it seems a little too busy. Although, you can spin around the head to show off a different face for the character.

Our Opinion

It’s another great release by the guys from Jamungo. From top to
bottom, Blow Up Dolls Series 2 is one of the strongest blind-boxed
platform lines available. Not only are the designs great, the artists
they recruited are top of the line. Plus, the line is well produced
and at the head of the pack in quality for platform toys.